Before the season began, Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton made it clear that his goals for the team did not revolve around wins and losses. Walton wanted to focus on setting the foundation for the franchise by practicing and playing the right way every day.
Walton has clearly gotten the team to buy into his system and ideals as the Lakers have made a major leap so far this season, jumping out to a surprising 7-5 start despite a pretty tough schedule to begin the season. There has even been some talk about the Lakers potentially fighting for a playoff spot.
Despite some quickly rising expectations, Walton is holding firm to his original goals, stating that he believes the Lakers can still get a lot better, via the Lakers Official Twitter account:
Walton: "It's still all about: Are we continuing to work and do the little things? … We can still get so much better."#SuitingUpTogether
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) November 17, 2016
Even with the possibility of the Lakers making a playoff push, Walton is right in that there is still plenty of room for improvement on his young team. The Lakers have left some wins on the table and fixing up some of their issues could turn those losses into wins.
The Lakers are currently ranked 26th in points allowed per game and one major reason why has been turnovers. They are averaging nearly 17 turnovers per game, dead last in the NBA and that leads to a lot of easy baskets for their opponents.
Additionally, while the Lakers have guarded the three-point line well, they are struggling with points in the paint and teams overall are having their way with the Lakers inside the three-point line.
The Lakers are a much-improved team, but there are plenty of things they need to fix. Getting those together would put the Lakers in a much better position in both the short and long term.